review and herald - typical evangelistic sermons

7/30/2019 Review and Herald - Typical Evangelistic Sermons

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TYPICAL EVANGELISTIC SERMONS

By Eighteen S.D.A. Evangelists

www.maranathamedia.com.au

REVIEW AND HERALD

PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION Takoma Park, Washington, D.C.PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.

MINISTERIAL READING COURSE SELECTION FOR

1940

MINISTERIAL ASSOCIATION OF SEYVENTH DAY ADVENTISTS
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CONTENTS

Foreword

Introduction by W. G. Turner

1. The Dream of World Empire (Daniel 2) By Taylor G. Bunch

2. Christ the Coming King (Second Advent) By Elmer L. Cardey

3. The Bible Millennium (Millennium) By Carlyle B. Haynes

4. The One Priceless Book (Inspiration of Bible) By Frederick Lee

5. The Truth About Heaven (Heaven) By Robert S. Fries

6. Why Was Sin Permitted? (Origin of Evil) By John W. MacNeil

7. Can Man Bridge the River of Death? (The Gospel of Salvation) By John L. Shuler

8. Are the Ten Commandments Out of Date? (Perpetuity of Law) By Jesse C. Stevens

9. Which Is the Lords Day? (The Lords Day) By Harold M. S. Richards

10. Jesus Amid the Shadows (Law and Gospel) By R. Allan Anderson

11. Has Grace Superseded the Law? (Law and Grace) By Charles T. Everson

12. Jesus the Hope of the World (Christ Our Only Savior) By J. L. Tucker

13. Where Are the Dead? (State of Dead) By Robert L. Boothby

14. What and Where Is Hell? (Hell) By Clifford A. Reeves

15. Jehovahs Sanctuary and Its Service (The Sanctuary) By O. O. Bernstein

16. What Was Abolished at the Cross? (The Two Laws) By James Earl Shultz

17. Twice Born or Die Twice (Conversion) By Chester S. Prout

18. The Gateway to a New Life (Baptism) By Leonard C. Evans


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FOREWORD

AT a meeting of the Ministerial Association Advisory Council, in December, 1939, a volume ofevangelistic sermons was proposed, each presentation to be prepared by a different evangelist. Such a planwas formulated because it was thought best not to have any one evangelist write an entire series, or to setforth any one individual as a denominational model. It was believed that by enlisting the services of a score

of able, experienced, successful men for one message sermon each, a product could be secured that wouldprove to be a distinct stimulus to younger workers, as well as of keen interest to all ministers to see howothers treat an evangelistic theme of importance. The proposed plan was well received by the AdvisoryCouncil. A committee of five was then named to formulate a plan of procedure. This committee requestedeach of the evangelists selected to choose topics from an accompanying list, upon which he preferred towrite. To each of these evangelists, the following guiding paragraph was sent:

We desire to have exemplified an effective approach and development of a great theme, togetherwith a real heart appeal-in short, to capitalize the possibilities of one of Gods great truths for the hour tothose not of our faith. Three principles should prevail: (1) Making Christ the central theme of everydiscourse, (2) making the threefold commission of Revelation 14 the binding principle in the series, and (3)making every sermon tell in preparing the soul for the coming of the Lord. Undoubtedly some chart,diagram, or device would be used in connection with certain of the presentations. Miniatures of theseshould doubtless accompany the manuscript, so as to make clear the various factors that enter into a

successful evangelistic sermon. Great care should, of course, be exercised to state all historical or otherfacts exactly, and to quote citations accurately.

A committee of judges was next named to make the final selections. This volume constitutes theresult. These messages are not sent forth as super sermons, polished to a high degree of literary perfection,but rather as typical sermons actual presentations-drawn from successful and experienced evangelists. Theyare not presented as models for copying, but rather for comparison. Another feature of value is that onemay see what sort of preaching outline others use in presenting a given theme, and likewise the kind ofhandbill or chart employed. Becoming dignity, and Biblical and spiritual emphasis, blended with winsomeappeal, constitute the ideal for which we must and do strive. The book is now sent forth with a prayer that itmay prove a real blessing and distinct stimulus to our workers generally.

It is hoped that if this sermon volume is well received, a second will follow later with yet otherwriters and other topics, especially stressing our testing truths and demonstrating the most effective appeal-the latter constituting one of the most vital, yet often one of the weakest, features in public evangelism.

MINISTERIAL ASSOCIATION OF

THE GENERAL CONFERENCE OF SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS

Washington, D.C. August 1, 1940.

INTRODUCTION

THE hour is late, and the end of all things earthly is near and hastens greatly. The longcontroversy between the forces of good and evil is almost ready for its terrifying and eternal climax.Immediately preceding this fateful hour, the message of God is to be proclaimed in clarion tones, and the

Holy Spirit is to work in human life with unrestricted power. Called of God, each evangelist is now to standin his place facing the demands of a confused world with fruitfulness in his service and with the knowledgeof assured triumph for his cause. He is to accept the challenge of lost men who can be saved only throughacceptance of the gospel of Christ, which is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes.

In its proclamation, this message of salvation is to be so convincing that skeptics will beconfounded, so constructive that even firmly entrenched theory will vanish before immovable truth, sosimple that the ignorant will clearly understand, so mighty that opposing forces will surrender, so chargedwith divine power that human philosophy will be swept aside, and so impregnated with the word of theliving God that all who read or hear will recognize Gods voice.

It is tragic to note the poverty of united thought and the almost total absence of authoritative


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preaching in the ministry of modern Christendom. Because of this confusion and uncertainty, men havelargely lost their love for Gods word and their respect for Gods professed ministry. While many earnestsouls long for light and truth, they appear compelled to grope and stumble in the dark, frantically graspingat anything within reach in the hope that what they secure will Ultimately lead them to their desired haven.

How refreshing to find in such times as these that the ministry of the Seventh-day AdventistChurch has never lost its consciousness of the value of certain fundamental doctrines and prophecies whichare frequently and rightly called pillars of the faith. These are sound, safe, and spiritual.

These doctrinal pillars occupy so prominent and important a place in our evangelistic preachingthat they enable our ministers with one voice, yet withal in many tongues, to proclaim them the worldaround, with results that produce one great family of believers, who individually and collectively form whatconstitute Gods remnant church. These members are instructed doctrinally and equipped spiritually tomeet Christ when He shall appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Because our ministry speaks with this one voice, this volume has been prepared and is submittedas a Ministerial Reading Course book for our evangelists and evangelistic workers the world around. Itcontains sermons preached by almost a score of evangelists, drawn from so wide a field as Asia, Africa,North America, Europe, and Australia. It should serve as a most helpful stimulus from the angle of methodemployed as well as of the value of its content.

Recognizing that the work which the church has failed to do in a time of peace and prosperity,she will have to do in a terrible crisis, under most discouraging, forbidding circumstances (Testimonies,Volume V, page 463), we heartily commend this timely volume to the ministry of the Seventh-day

Adventist Church.If the purpose of this book is realized, it will undoubtedly occupy an important place in inspiring

the growing ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church to play its part in proclaiming Gods presenttruth with such skill and clarity as to call for the full revelation of the Spirits power in the finishing of thework of God in this generation.

W. GORDON TURNER

1. THE DREAM OF WORLD EMPIRE

(Daniel 2)

SERMON OUTLINE

1. Introduction:The background of and circumstances surrounding the kings dream. Verses 28, 29.The wise men, and their position In the kingdom. Verses 2, 3.

2. The religion of Babylon put to the test and found wanting. Verses 4-12.1. The death decree. Verse 12.2. Deliverance through Daniel. Verses 13-30.

3. The dream revealed. Verses 31-35.

4. The Interpretation of the dream. Verses 36-45.1. Babylon, the head of gold.2. Medo-Persia, the breast and arms of silver.3. Greece, the belly and thighs of brass.4. Rome, the legs of Iron.5. Feet and toes of Iron and clay, nations of divided Rome.

Efforts to unite Into another world empire.

5. The kingdom of heaven.


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1. Stone cut out of mountain, the everlasting kingdom of God.a. Kingdom of God and kingdom of glory.b. Supernaturally established.c. Thy kingdom come.

By TAYLOR G. BUNCHBattle Creek, Michigan

1. Introduction

NEBUCHADNEZZAR was the greatest king of ancient Babylon, which is designated in Scriptureas the glory of kingdoms. He was a wise ruler, and was interested in the future welfare of his people. Onenight, as he lay on his bed thinking of and planning for the future, he fell asleep, and the subject of hiswaking thoughts became the subject of his dreams. While the dream made a profound impression on hismind, the king was unable to recall it, and therefore his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.(Daniel 2:1.)

The Babylonians attached great importance to dreams, especially those given to a king, for theking was also the chief priest, or Pontifex Maximus, of the gods of Babylon, to whom he owed his position,

and a dream was supposed to be a revelation of the will of the gods. During the remainder of the nightNebuchadnezzar restlessly tossed upon his deeply cushioned and richly covered couch. He impatientlyawaited the dawn of day, and then he summoned a herald to call the wise men to the royal palace to revealthe forgotten dream and make known its interpretation.

2. Religion Put to the Test

In a previous test of scholarship the four Hebrew youth had triumphed gloriously and had beenproclaimed ten times wiser than all the other wise men of Babylon. Now their religion is to be placed ontrial to demonstrate its superiority over that of the Babylonians. Their captors had boasted that the secret oftheir victories over all the nations, including the kingdom of Judah, was the superiority of their gods. Theyhad doubtless tauntingly reminded Daniel and his companions of this as the cause of their captivity. Nowan event takes place that completely refutes these charges. The gods and the religion of the Babylonians are

put to the acid test.Many times the wise men had been called upon to interpret the dreams of their king. Each time

they had drawn from him sufficient information to form a basis for their cunning and man-madeinterpretations. The unsuspecting king usually related his dream, and the wise men withdrew, supposedly toconsult the gods, but in reality to concoct an interpretation that would suit the pride and fancy of the king.But now the king himself could not recall his dream, and, having told them this, he became angry whenthey requested that he relate what he had seen. He threatened terrible judgments if they refused or failed tocomply with his demand for a recounting and an interpretation of his dream, and promised rich rewards ifthey did what they pretended to be able to do. The cunning and crafty wise men were definitely confused,and they sought desperately, but in vain, to find a way of escape from the trap into which their own wickeddevices had led them.

Nebuchadnezzar was determined to compel the wise men to reveal the information if they had it,or acknowledge their inability to do so. He charged them with stalling for time with the hope that he would

recollect and reveal to them the dream, or lose interest in it, or till they could invent a way of escape. Theking made them a proposition that was not at all unreasonable: If they could give the proper interpretationafter knowing the dream, they could also reveal the dream itself. If the dream had been given by the gods,they could as easily reveal the dream as its meaning. Driven into a corner from which there was no avenueof escape, the wise men were finally compelled to confess that their pretensions were false. In theirdesperation they charged the king with being unreasonable in his demands. They declared that such secretswere known only to gods whose dwelling is not with flesh, and therefore he could be sure that there isnot a man upon the earth that can show the kings matter. They added, however, that since the wisdom ofthe world centered in them, there could be nothing gained by their destruction. Their argument was somanifestly weak that the king in his fury decreed the destruction of all the wise men of Babylon.


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It was in the providence of God that the four Hebrews had not been called till after the other wisemen had failed. Daniel asked Arioch, the captain of the kings guard, why the royal decree was so hasty andruthless. After being informed of what had happened, Daniel requested that the execution be stayed. Theking had accused the wise men of trying to gain time, and yet he granted Daniels request for more time. Hedoubtless recalled Daniels superior wisdom and hoped that the young Hebrew could solve the puzzle. Thetwenty four-hour reprieve gave opportunity for prayer. The four young men prayed far into the night, untilthe matter was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. Only the prayer of thanksgiving is recorded, and it isone of the most beautiful in Holy Writ.

3. The Dream Revealed

The next morning Daniel hastened to Arioch with the glad tidings. He asked that the execution ofthe sentence of death be stayed, not because the wise men deserved any credit for the revelation of thesecret, but that they might share with the king the revelation of the true God, who does dwell with humanflesh and reveals to His servants the deep and secret things. The deep-seated jealousy of the wise mentoward Daniel gave place to the fond hope that he would succeed, for in his success lay their only hope.

The kings confidence had been so shattered by the failure of his wise men that he was skeptical ofDaniels ability to reveal the dream. The claim of the Hebrew captive seemed preposterous after the ancientmen had failed. With cold and skeptical scorn the king asks, Art thou able to make known unto me the

dream which 1 have seen, and the interpretation thereof. Daniel then reminded the king of the failure ofthe wise men, and, disclaiming all credit for himself, pointed to the God of heaven as the revealer ofsecrets, as the One who had given the dream to the king in order to answer his thoughts and make known tohim what shall be in the latter days.

Daniel witnessed the return of confidence and the glow of admiration in the countenance of theking as he recounted to him what he had been thinking about the night he retired to sleep and to dream. Theking recognized that what he said was true. This wise introduction prepared the king for the startlingrevelation of the dream itself. With the announcement, Thou, O king, saw, and behold a great image, theastonished king started forward in surprise. All came back to him in a flash of memory, and he knew thatDaniel was not manufacturing a dream to save his life. One can almost hear the unspoken thoughts of thekings mind, Yes, my dream. I remember it now. How strange that I ever forgot it. The king knew thatthe revelation of Daniel was no sham or forgery.

The image of the kings dream was huge and gleaming. Its splendor was dazzling, and itsappearance was terrible. It made a profound impression on the king because he and his subjects were imageworshipers. No wonder he was so anxious to recall the dream and know the import of its message from thegods. Nebuchadnezzar had all his life worshiped gods of gold, silver, brass, iron, clay, and stone, but neverhad he known of one in which these materials and metals were combined. The head of glittering gold, thebreast and arms of shining silver, the belly and thighs of glowing brass, the legs as pillars of iron, and thefeet and toes of yielding clay mingled with iron, must have a very significant meaning, and this the kingwas determined to know. The image was that of a man, and, somewhat like the human body, deteriorated invalue from head to feet. The head is the most valuable and important part of a mans body, for it directs andgoverns the whole. The next section contains the heart, the lungs, and the chief instruments of labor. Thenfollows the lower part of the trunk, the legs, and lastly, the feet and toes. Beginning with gold, the king ofmetals, the symbolic image ended with miry clay, or virtually mud.

In all ages nations have been symbolized by human figures. Florus represented Roman history bythe figure of a man. The modern nations are thus symbolized. The human body is a fit symbol of humanhistory and glory, for, just as the parts of the body make up the whole, so the separate kingdoms are but

successive parts of the whole of human history. In the majestic metallic image all human powerconsolidated by human wisdom is represented. In the dream the mystic stone is cut out of the mountainwithout hands, or by no human hands. - James Moffatt. By divine power it is cast or rolled down themountain and strikes the image on the feet and toes and the whole colossal fabric goes down in a heap ofruins. That which had seemed so strong and permanent becomes like chaff, the symbol of that which islight, transitory, and worthless-that which is most easily destroyed. The stone that supernaturally strikes theimage and shatters it to atoms, grows into; a mountain that fills the whole earth and supplants earthlykingdoms.

With the statement, This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king,


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came the dramatic moment of the scene being enacted in the royal court of Babylon. A profound silencefell over the assembled listeners, broken only by the words of the Hebrew prophet. The anxious king, hisprinces, officers, soldiers, and especially the wise men, awaited with breathless interest the message thatwould bring hope or doom. The four Hebrews alone were calm and composed. Daniel was unawed by thehuman, because he had looked upon the divine. He could stand fearless before the greatest of earthlymonarchs because, with trembling, he had bowed before the King of kings.

4. The Interpretation

The interpretation of Nebuchadnezzars dream is one of the most sublime chapters in all profaneor sacred history. In eight short verses is given the history of the worlds pomp and power for 2,500 years.Beginning with Babylon it reaches past the rise and fall of ancient kingdoms, past the breaking up of Romeand the history of her divided state, representing the modern nations, past our own day, and on into theeternal state, when the dominion of the earth is restored to the righteous descendants of Adam, its first king.No earthly historian has ever penned such a history. Calvin Coolidge wrote a 500-word history of theUnited States, but here in 213 words Daniel covers the history of all nations for two and a half millenniums.

With what interest and astonishment the king must have listened to the announcement, Thou artthis head of gold. The king is the state, declared King Louis of France. That the head of gold representedthe empire of Babylon and not merely Nebuchadnezzar is evident from the statement, After thee shall

arise another kingdom. Daniel addresses Nebuchadnezzar as a king of kings, which was a title thenapplied to him, as indicated by discoveries found by archeologists in the ruins of Babylon. The BabylonianEmpire was represented by the head, the chief part of man, and the gold, the king of metals. During thereign of Nebuchadnezzar Babylon was indeed the head empire of the world. It was the golden kingdom of agolden age. The Scriptures call it the glory of kingdoms, and its capital the golden city,, and the beautyof the Chaldees excellency.

Babylon had been founded by Nimrod 1,500 years before, and was at the very height of its gloryduring the reign of Nebuchadnezzar. It was the center of the worlds wisdom and culture, and later of itscorruption. It had been the birthplace and incubator of idolatry, and the breeding place of every false andcounterfeit religion. Babylon was thus the mother of all the abominations of the earth. It took courage forthe young Hebrew prophet to tell the proud and haughty king that only the head of the image thatrepresented the history of the world signified his kingdom, and that it would be superseded by another.Gods decree for Babylon was far different from the meditations of the king as he retired on the night of hisdream. He was sure that such a city and such a kingdom would stand forever. This belief was latermanifested by the erection of a great image all of gold.

From a human viewpoint it seemed impossible that Babylon could be overthrown. But the empiresthat succeeded Babylon would be inferior, just as silver, brass, iron, and clay are inferior to gold. That thebreast and arms of silver were symbolic of Medo-Persia, there can be no question. Both sacred and profanehistory speak with united voice in declaring that the kingdom of the Medes and the Persians conquered andsucceeded Babylon. At the feast of Belshazzar, Daniel told the last king of Babylon that his kingdom wouldbe divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. (Daniel 5:28.)

Cyrus, the conqueror of Babylon, was one of the greatest characters of history, comparable toNebuchadnezzar himself. Herodotus declared that wherever Cyrus marched throughout the earth, it wasimpossible for nations to escape him. Of the nobility of his character, Dr. John Lord said: The earlyPersians chose the bravest and most capable of their nobles for kings, and these kings were mild andmerciful. Zenophon makes Cyrus the ideal of a king the incarnation of sweetness and light, conducting warwith a magnanimity unknown to the ancient nations, dismissing prisoners, forgiving foes, freeing slaves,

and winning all hearts by a true nobility of nature. He was a reformer of barbarous methods of war, and aspure in morals as he was powerful in war. In short, he had all those qualities which we admire in thechivalric heroes of the Middle Ages. Beacon Lights of History, Volume 1, P. 56.

Just as God chose Nebuchadnezzar as His servant in the punishment of the nations, includingthe kingdom of Judah, so the Lord chose Cyrus as His instrument in executing His judgments upon wickedBabylon. Years before he was born, and more than a century before he conquered Babylon, the Lordforetold his birth and career, and even named him. He said of Cyrus, He is My shepherd, and shallperform all My pleasure. He spoke of him as His anointed, whose right hand I have held. (Isaiah44:28; 45:1-5.) The Lord has servants who are not directly numbered with His people, and among these are


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rulers of nations. Cyrus and Darius had probably been acquainted with Daniel while he was a leading figureof the Babylonian Empire, of which Media and Persia were provinces. They therefore immediately placedDaniel in positions of trust and responsibility in the new kingdom. Daniel doubtless showed Cyrus theprophecy of Isaiah regarding his mission as Gods shepherd, and he was so profoundly impressed that he atonce issued the predicted decree for the restoration of Jerusalem and its temple and worship. (Ezra 6:3-6.)

The kingdom that followed Medo-Persia is called the kingdom of brass, which shall bear ruleover all the earth, and is identified by all historians as the kingdom of Greece. There are many whoconsider the rule of Greece rather than the rule of Babylon as the golden age, because of her galaxy ofpoets, painters, orators, statesmen, and writers. But the Lord pictures this period as an age of brass, with itsglare and flare of pretense, but little real merit, and He assigns to it only the briefest place in the sacredrecords. On Mars Hill the apostle Paul spoke of the days of boasted Greek knowledge and culture as thetimes of this ignorance. It is always true that the wisdom of the world is foolishness with God.

During the rule of Medo-Persia two lines of petty kings were contending for the supremacy overthe turbulent Greeks in Macedonia. Philip of Macedon finally subdued the divided and contending statesand founded the Grecian kingdom, with himself as the first king. His son Alexander became king of Greeceat the age of twenty. For three years he had been a student of Aristotle. While Medo-Persia was decliningand its power and glory were diminishing, Greece was gaining in power and influence and was preparing toseize the scepter of world dominion. Thus it has ever been in the history of nations-a battle for the survivalof the strongest.

While Alexander was a great warrior and conqueror, he was never truly great and does not deserve

the title of Alexander the Great. In character and wisdom as a ruler he does not compare withNebuchadnezzar or Cyrus. He was a skillful general, cruel and ruthless. With a small but well disciplinedGrecian army he entered Asia. In less than eight years he completely defeated the armies of the Persians inthe battles of Granicus, Issus, and Arbela, and became the ruler of the world of his day. The third kingdomof brass exercised world sovereignty. It is said that the early Greek soldiers wore brass armor and werecalled the brazen coated.

The fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and subdues allthings: and as iron that breaks all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise, was Daniels interpretation ofthe legs of iron of the metallic image of Nebuchadnezzars dream. This fourth kingdom is againsymbolized in chapter seven by a beast that was strong exceedingly and had great iron teeth, so that itdevoured and brake in pieces all the other nations off thee ancient world. The name of this fourth worldpower is nowhere given in the Old Testament, for it arose after the completion of the ancient canon ofScripture. It is, however, named in the New Testament. The testimony of historians, both secular and

religious, speaks with united voice in identifying Rome as the next world kingdom after Greece. Thevision of the great image and of the four beasts, in every age of the church, and with a consent almostuniversal, have been referred to the same four kingdoms of history-the empires of Babylon, Persia, Greece,and Rome. Here the early fathers, the writers of the Roman church, the Protestants, all agree. FirstElements of Sacred Prophecy, T. R. Birks, pp. 62,63.

For five centuries under its various forms of government, Rome ruled the world with a rod of iron.This kingdom was a despotism of the worst type, and is appropriately designated the iron monarchy. Thehistorian thus describes the Roman Empire: The empire of the Romans filled the world, and when thatempire fell into the hands of a single person, the world became a safe and dreary prison for his enemies.The slave of imperial despotism, whether he was condemned to drag his gilded chain in Rome and thesenate, or to wear out a life of exile on the barren rock of Seriphus, or the frozen banks of the Danube,expected his fate in silent despair. To resist was fatal, and it was impossible to fly. Gibbons -Decline andFall of the Roman Empire, Volume I, pp. 133, 134.

Of the feet and toes of the image the prophet said: Whereas thou saw the feet and toes, part ofpotters clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of theiron, forasmuch as thou saw the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron,and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly brittle. (Daniel 2:41,42, margin.) Thenation that had broken other nations in pieces was destined to be broken in pieces. This is the unchangingrule of fate among individuals and nations. (Matthew 26:52; Revelation 13:10.) Evil visited upon othersreturns upon the heads of the perpetrators. While the strength of Rome was being sapped by vice,corruption, and internal strife, the barbarians were marshaling their forces on the northern frontiers of theempire, and during the third, fourth, and fifth centuries they broke through the barriers in an irresistibleavalanche of blood and destruction, and established ten kingdoms upon the ruins of the empire of the


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Romans.The kingdoms into which Rome was divided are symbolized by the feet and toes of the image and

the ten horns of the fourth beast of Daniel seven. They were the Alemanni, the Heruli, the Vandals, theOstrogoths, the Visigoths, the Franks, the Lombards, the Suevi, the Anglo-Saxons, and the Burgundians. Inthese ten kingdoms and their successors something of the iron remains, but only in its connection withyielding and fragile clay or brittle pottery. Today these kingdoms of divided Rome still exist, under modernnames and forms of government; and some of them are as strong as iron and others are as weak as miryclay.

The dream image, with its interpretation, proves that human dominion and ruler ship deteriorateinstead of improve. This is contrary to the claim of evolutionists that there has been a growth andimprovement down through the ages. Of course there have been improvements in many respects, such asinventions, discoveries, and progress along scientific and educational lines. But in Gods estimation manhas ever degenerated toward the earth from whence he was originally taken. Beginning with gold, humanhistory and earthly kingdoms end in miry clay or mud.

Efforts to reunite the broken fragments of the Roman Empire were also foretold by the prophet:Whereas thou saw iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but theyshall not cleave one to one another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. (Verse 43.) They shallintermarry, is the James Molfatt rendering. The first efforts to weld these nations together were by force ofarms. Charlemagne, Charles V, Louis XIV, and Napoleon tried to reunite them permanently throughmilitary power, and failed. Similar endeavors in this direction in the future will as ignominiously fail as

have those of the past.Another well-known effort of union has been by intermarriage between the ruling families. This

was attempted on such a scale that when the World War began, the ruling families of the nations of Europewere practically all related. Queen Victoria was called the Grandmother of Europe. Intermarriage failedto bring union as signally as did force of arms.

An effort has been made through a League of Nations which was likewise doomed to fail, for thedivine decree is that they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. As long assome of these nations are as strong as iron and others are as weak and brittle as pottery, the strong willdominate the weak, and they will never amalgamate. Daniel said to King Nebuchadnezzar: The dream iscertain, and the interpretation thereof sure. It has thus far been fulfilled to the very letter, and theremaining part will likewise come to pass as was predicted two and a half millenniums ago.

5. The Kingdom of HeavenBut there is to be one more universal kingdom. The stone that was cut out of the mountain

without hands, or without human hands, and that crushed to dust the various metals that representedearthly nations, was to become a great mountain, or government, and fill the whole earth. Ininterpreting this part of the dream, Daniel said: In the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up akingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shallbreak in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. (Daniel 2:44.)

The closing scene in the great drama of human history, as represented by the symbolic image, isthe brightest. Many dramas have a tragic ending, but this one ends in a scene of supernal splendor andcelestial glory. The previous acts presented a sad picture of human weakness and failure, of the instabilityof earthly governmental machinery, and of the inability of fallen man to rule himself or others. Now thecurtain is lifted on the final scene, which pictures the everlasting dominion of the kingdom of glory. Incomparison how trifling and transitory are the pomp and pride of earthly monarchs 1 how pale is the

flickering torch of human glory!In the rule of imperfect man there is nothing permanent, nothing sure. Babylon climbed to

universal dominion on the ruins of Assyria. And Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome each seized the scepter ofworld empire by demolishing its predecessor. Each in turn left its kingdom to other people. Universalempire established by human might came to an end with the iron monarchy of Rome. All efforts topermanently reunite the separate kingdoms since the breaking up of Rome have been in vain. But anotherworld dominion will be established on the ruins of earthly kingdoms, and it will stand forever. Its King willnever die, and therefore His ruler ship will never cease. There will be no change of dynasty, and hence nochange of laws or ruling principles. This throne will be forever and ever, because the scepter of the


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kingdom will be a scepter of righteousness.This fifth and everlasting kingdom will be established in the days of these kings, or the kings of

divided Rome after their vain attempts to unite by force of arms, intermarriage, diplomacy, andconfederacy. They are the nations which now dominate the earth.

The iron of imperial Rome is today intermingled with the clay of weakness. The metal whichstays all existing governments, the solid material of their laws and administrations, is the iron of old Rome,which thus perpetuates itself in spite of uprisings, changes, revolutions, marches, and countermarches in thepolitical affairs of mankind. - Voices From Babylon, Joseph A. Seiss, p. 76. The iron and clay will stillbe mingled in strength and weakness when the final crash comes. The modern nations will still be dividedwhen the celestial world kingdom is established.

There are two phases of the kingdom of God, known as the kingdom of grace and the kingdom ofglory. The kingdom of grace comes to us through the gospel when Christ is enthroned in the individualheart. This is the kingdom which Jesus declared is within you, which comes not with observation, oroutward show. (Luke 17:20, 21, margin.) When Jesus told Pilate that His kingdom was not of thisworld, He had reference to the kingdom of glory which is to be established at His Second Advent andwhich is described in Matthew 25:31-34. That this is the event symbolized by the stone that smote theimage on its feet and destroyed the symbols of earthly kingdoms and filled the whole earth, must beevident to all careful Bible students. Otherwise the stone would have struck the image on the upper part ofits legs, rather than on the feet and toes. The nations symbolized by the feet and toes must he in existencebefore the stone could shatter them to pieces. The symbolic stone represents a kingdom that destroys and

supplants all earthly kingdoms. This is never the result of the preaching of the gospel. The gospel mayreform and refine nations, but it never destroys them.

Whereas the kingdoms represented by the various metals of the image were all established byman, the one symbolized by the stone will be set up by the God of heaven. While the Lord exercisesHis sovereign will in the affairs of men and nations to a limited extent, He is not directly responsible fortheir establishment or administration. But this final and everlasting kingdom is set up without human poweror effort or help. No human agency is responsible for the stones being cut or chiseled from the mountainand hurled against the feet of the image. The destruction of earthly kingdoms and the setting up of thekingdom of glory are supernaturally accomplished without hands, or, by no human hands. Thekingdom of heaven bears rule over all the earth, just as did its four predecessors. It will be just as real andtangible as was Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, or Rome. A kingdom presupposes a king, a throne, adominion, and subjects; and this kingdom will have all of these. It differs only in its enduring nature, whichit has because it is founded on eternal principles, and because its citizens shall be all righteous. It will be

a kingdom wherein dwells righteousness. There can be no question but that the hurling of the stoneagainst the symbolic image represents the Second Advent of Christ. Jesus spoke of Himself as the stonewhich breaks in pieces those upon whom it falls. To His people Christ is the living stone. Those who fallon Him and are converted will be made whole, but those on whom He falls will be destroyed. At HisSecond Advent Christ will occupy the throne of David and will rule over the restored dominion of the firstAdam, and of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end.

As a result of the interpretation of his dream, honest hearted Nebuchadnezzar rose from his throneand fell on his face before the Hebrew captive and acknowledged that his God is a God of gods, and aLord of kings, and a revealer of secrets.

If the mere revelation of the future history of the world brought a heathen king to his knees toworship the God of heaven, what effect should the same prophecy have on those living in this generationwho have also seen the fulfillment of all but the closing event? Should we not also bow reverently beforethe God of Daniel and acknowledge Him as the only true God? Does He not deserve our wholehearted

devotion and consecration in life and service? The fact that this divinely given dream has thus far beenfulfilled to the very letter is positive proof that the one remaining event will take place as scheduled. Thenext great event in the history of nations is the coming of Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords toestablish a kingdom that will never end. The inspiration of this blessed hope should cause every child ofGod to pray more fervently than ever before, Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is inheaven.


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2. CHRIST THE COMING KING(Second Advent)

SERMON OUTLINE

INTRODUCTION: John 14:1-3. Christs coming the hope of a troubled world.

1. Will Christ return?

2. How He will come.1. A real, personal, literal coming, which every eye shall see.2. His followers not to be deceived Into thinking It will be a spiritual, secret coming, known only

in a certain locality.3. Jews were deceived regarding His first coming.4. Satans efforts to lead the church astray by a wave of false teachings.

3. Why He will come.1. To be King of kings, and Lord of lords.

2. To separate the wheat from the tares.3. To reap the harvest.4. To raise the dead.5. To translate the righteous.

4. How the nations will be affected.1. Consternation of nations.2. The physical earth affected.3. Civilization overthrown.4. Destruction of cities.

Appeal: Are you ready to meet Him?

By ELMER L. CARDEYCape Town, South Africa

TEXT: Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Fathershouse are many mansions: if it were not so, 1 would have told you. 1 go to prepare a place for you. And if 1go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where 1 am, there youmay be also. (John 14:1-3.)

In the midst of a troubled and distressed world, here is a message of hope and good cheer: I willcome again, says Jesus. An overshadowing fear is gripping all nations today. Civilizations future is darkindeed. Night seems to be settling down upon a world that has been in rebellion against the Lord God ofheaven. Mens hearts are failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on theearth. (Luke 21:26.) But amid the darkness that enshrouds us is the blessed hope that gleams from thegates ajar, the hope of Christs Second Coming. In that hope there is light and peace for every troubled

soul. The remedy for sin that God has provided will not leave man to struggle on forever amid the shadowsof death. The Christ who died for man will come again and will save His people from everlasting death,and give them a new home, even Eden restored.

1. Will Christ Return?

Jesus promised His disciples-and through them the church-that He would return. His work ofredemption for the human race cannot be complete until He returns to restore to man all that he lost throughAdams transgression. I will come again has sounded down through the ages, giving man the one star of


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hope, shining brightly during a long night of sorrow and woe. As the time approaches for His return toearth, the night is getting darker, but that star of hope is shining brighter and brighter for the children of theKing. His Second Coming is the one and only remedy for a sin-sick and war-torn world. That gloriousevent will bring the day of triumph to the church.

Recently it was our privilege to stand on the summit of the Mount of Olives. From its slopes theBlessed One returned to His heavenly Fathers throne. Our thoughts went back to that day. As the elevendisciples looked with amazement and sorrow at their departing Lord, two men stood by them in whiteapparel; which also said, You men of Galilee, why stand you gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, whichis taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven.(Acts 1:10, ll.)

This assurance made by the angel messengers still rings true. As surely as He went away, so surelywill He return. As men saw Him go away, so will mankind see Him return someday. Not only a few on Mt.Olivet will see Him come, but every eye shall see Him. (Revelation 1:7.) Paul, in writing to Titus, speaksof Christs coming back to earth as that blessed hope. He says, Teaching us that, denying ungodlinessand worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for thatblessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ. (Titus 2:12, 13.)

All the Bible promises that bear on the future blessedness of a redeemed church are made oncondition that Jesus will come again to this earth. Father, I will that they also, whom Thou has given Me,be with Me where I am, can be answered only in the coming of Jesus the second time. As all history led upto the cross, and as it flows out from the time of His crucifixion, even so all history will end, so far as this

present evil world is concerned, when He comes.

2. How He Will Come

It is good to know that when He comes, the dead shall hear His voice, and shall come forth fromtheir dusty graves, and shall live. (John 5:28.)

Paul speaks of the glory of His coming in these words: The Lord Himself shall descend fromheaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christshall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, tomeet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17.)

He will come as He went away-with a cloud of angels surrounding Him. A cloud of glory closedabout His ascending form, and a cloud of glory will bear Him back to earth again, even as the two angelspromised the eleven lonely disciples on Mt. Olivet that day so long ago. John the revelator agrees with this.He says: Behold, He comes with clouds; and every eye shall see Him. . . . and all kingdoms of the earthshall wail because of Him. (Revelation 1:7.) His Second Coming, then, will not be secret, unheralded, orunseen by the masses of humanity. No event of the past can be compared to that glorious day of His return.Christ illustrated that event by the bright flash of the piercing lightning: As the lightning comes out of theeast, and shines even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (Matthew 24:27.)

As clear as these statements are relative to the nature of His Second Coming, yet many, verymany, continue to look for Him to come in spirit form, in a secret place, in a spiritual way, or in a certainlocality. His command to watch. . . . lest coming suddenly He find you sleeping, to give them meat indue season, to be you also ready: for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man comes, shouldcause every Christian man and woman to think deeply upon this subject at this time.

The enemy of all righteousness is ever ready to lead the church and the world astray upon divinetruth. Through all ages he has sought to blind mens minds by taking some truth and mixing it with mucherror. The Jewish nation was in an expectant mood, waiting for the coming Messiah, when Jesus Christ

appeared. But Satan had so perverted the truth as to the manner of His coming as to make truth into a lie,and destroy the whole nation. A similar deception is now captivating the Christian world. That we arenearing the Second Advent of Christ, most Christian people will admit. Nearly all prophecies that point tothat event have been fulfilled, or may now be in the process of fulfillment.

But again the people are being led astray regarding the nature and manner of His coming. Averitable wave of false teaching is sweeping the church in these last days, declaring that Christ will come inrapture when the prepared ones will be caught away from home and friends and taken to glory. Othersare teaching that He will come silently, in spirit form; others, that He will come in some locality as a spiritbeing to heal the sick and raise the dead, but will leave the world to go on in its present state for ages


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thereafter. These views are entirely at variance with the Scriptures and with Christs own statementsrelative to His return to earth.

The Bible declares that He will come personally, visibly, with power and great glory, and everyeye shall see Him. Why, then, you may ask, all this confused teaching about the manner of His coming?We find the answer in the warning that Christ gave, which is to be applied to the very days of His return toearth. He said: If any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shallarise false christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it werepossible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, 1 have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say untoyou, Behold, He is in the desert; go not forth: behold, He is in the secret chamber; believe it not. For as thelightning comes out of the east, and shines even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of manbe. (Matthew 24:23-27.) No statement could be clearer than this relative to that great event.

3. Why He Will Come

Jesus will not come to a converted world or to convert the world. At His first advent He came tobring life and immortality to light through the gospel. He came to save His people from their sins. Hecame as the light of the world. The passing ages since that day have seen the steady advance of Hissaving message of grace until today all tribes, languages, and nations of earth know something of thecrucified and risen Christ. His prophecy, given amid the gathering shadows of Golgotha, have met a

wonderful fulfillment. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto allnations; and then shall the end come. (Matthew 24:14.)His Second Advent will have an entirely different purpose. He will come as King of kings, and

Lord of lords. (Revelation 19:16.) And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should smitethe nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treads the winepress of the fierceness andwrath of almighty God. (Revelation 19:18.) He is now, and has been since His return to His Fathers glory,a High Priest, applying His own blood for the sins of every repentant sinner. (Hebrews 8:1-6.) In that dayjust before us He will appear not only as King, but as the Judge of a world that has rejected His offers ofmercy. Of that time He said, When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels withHim, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory: and before Him shall be gathered all nations. And Heshall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats: and He shall set thesheep on Hie right hand, but the goats on the left. (Matthew 25:31-33.)

He will come to reap the harvest. The harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are theangels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. TheSon of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, andthem which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing ofteeth. (Matthew 13:39-42.)

This picture of His Second Coming is not pleasing to the carnal, sinful heart. It holds out no hopefor the unrepentant sinner at that day; but it does hold much hope for the one who today will put away sin,and watch and wait for the glorious return of Christ. His coming will put an end to death and will usher in aday of everlasting life. The dead will be raised to life again-all who sleep in Jesus-when the LordHimself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump ofGod: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. (1 Thessalonians 4:16.) The living saints will then be caughtup and translated, thenceforth to be with the Lord. Such is the Bible teaching regarding the Second Adventof Christ.

4. How the Nations Will Be AffectedThe truth is evident throughout the Scriptures that the nations of this world, which are essentially

founded upon force, must ultimately give way to another conception of government-government foundedupon truth, equity, and love.

The Second Advent of Christ will be the most tragic and awful, and yet the most glorious, eventever to take place on this earth. The prophets of the Old Testament have described that hour as worldshaking. (Jeremiah 4:23-27; Isaiah 24:1-17.) With these agree every Old Testament prophet who wrote ofthat event. Christ Himself, in speaking of that hour, used the most striking language, and summed it up inthese words: There shall he weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 22:13.)


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The ~ apostle Peter writes: The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which theheavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also andthe works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing, then, that all these things shall be dissolved, whatmanner of persons ought you to be in all holy conversation and godliness? (2 Peter 3:10, ll.)

However, it was left to John the revelator to sum up the writings of all the prophets, and to givethe most graphic and most startling statement regarding that hour when Christ shall come to judge theworld: The heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island weremoved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chiefcaptains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every freeman, hid themselves in the dens and inthe rocks of the mountains. And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face ofHim that sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of His wrath is come; andwho shall be able to stand? (Revelation 6:14-17.) The wording of the sixteenth chapter of Revelation,along with the eighteenth and nineteenth chapters, leaves no room to question the fact that when Christreturns to the earth, the physical earth will be mightily affected. Civilization as we now know it will beentirely overthrown. We can do no better than to quote a writer who has given a pen picture of that hourwhen probation closes and Christ comes, the like of which has never previously been written.

It is under such conditions that God manifests His power for the deliverance of His people. . . .Signs and wonders follow in quick succession. The wicked look with terror and amazement upon the scene,while the righteous behold with solemn joy the tokens of their deliverance. Everything in nature seemsturned out of its course. The streams cease to flow. Dark, heavy clouds come up, and clash against each

other. In the midst of the angry heavens is one clear space of indescribable glory, whence comes the voiceof God like the sound of many waters, saying, It is done.

That voice shakes the heavens and the earth. There is a mighty earthquake, such as was not sincemen were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. The firmament appears to open and shut.The glory from the throne of God seems flashing through. The mountains shake like a reed in the wind, andragged rocks are scattered on every side. There is a roar as of a coming tempest. The sea is lashed into fury.There is heard the shriek of the hurricane, like the voice of demons upon a mission of destruction. Thewhole earth heaves and swells like the waves of the sea. Its surface is breaking up. Its very foundationsseem to be giving way. Mountain chains are sinking. Inhabited islands disappear. The seaports that havebecome like Sodom for wickedness, are swallowed up by the angry waters. Babylon the Great has come inremembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. Greathailstones, every one about the weight of a talent, are doing their work of destruction. The proudest citiesof the earth are laid low. The lordly palaces, upon which the worlds great men have lavished their wealth

in order to glorify themselves, are crumbling to ruin before their eyes. [The Great Controversy, Pages636. 637.]

The destruction of the present world, as here described, will prepare the way for the setting up ofChrists kingdom. Daniels remarkable prophecy gives the same thought. The great image of the secondchapter represented the nations of earth from Babylon to the last remaining nations of Europe. When theselast have failed, the God of heaven [shall] set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and thekingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in. pieces and consume all these kingdoms, andit shall stand forever. (Daniel 2:44.)

5. Are You Ready to Meet Him?

There will be a people ready to meet Him, and of them the prophet declares: It shall be said inthat day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited

for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation. (Isaiah 25:9.) This company will be without sin.They have been waiting and watching and praying for that glorious day when Christ will return in person.They have not been swept away with every false wind of doctrine. To them the Scriptures have borne adefinite message, causing them to prepare for the overthrow of sin and the setting up of Christs kingdomof glory.

In a revival meeting that was being held in a Southern city, after a number of calls had been madefor people to surrender to Christ, an elderly minister rose and asked the privilege of telling a story. Insubstance this is what he told:

When he was a boy he lived on a sandy, wind-swept shore of the north Atlantic. One morning he


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rose early and saw that in the night a gallant sailing ship had missed its course and had run aground on thesandy shore, with all sails unfurled. He thought that when the high tide came in that night, the old shipwould rise with the tide and sail on. The tide came, the ship rose, and the sails swelled with the breeze Thewatchers cried out, Sail on, old ship, sail on. But to the dismay of all, the gallant ship failed to move, andwhen the tide went out, the ship sank still deeper into the sand Then he thought that with the next tide,which would be a higher one, surely the old ship would free itself and sail to safety. The high tide came, theship slowly rose again, the sails swelled again with the wind, but something under that ship, like fingers ofdeath, clutched at the stranded hull, and the tide went out, leaving the ship to settle still deeper into thesand. That night a mighty storm swept in from the sea; and when another tide came in, the gallant old shipwas wrecked and strewn along the shore.

So it is with many a soul. The call comes to surrender to Christ. The heart is touched by the Spiritof God. Right now the tide of Gods grace bears you up and seeks to start you sailing toward your Fathershaven of rest. Do you hear that call? Will you sail on tonight, or will you be held by the sinking sands ofearth? Will you risk eternal life by waiting for another high tide of grace to call you? Jesus invites you tocome just now, as you are, without one plea. Will you come?

3. THE BIBLE MILLENNIUM(Millennium)

SERMON OUTLINE

1. Introduction: The importance of definitions. Millennium not a Biblical term-its origin; what it hasmistakenly come to mean; what it really means.

2. Revelation 20:1-5, only text which discloses one thousand years.1. Special characteristics of the thousand-year period.2. Unwarranted conclusions that issue from the binding of Satan.3. No Bible teaching that the world will be converted.4. Both righteous and wicked to grow together until the harvest.

3. Progression of events connected with the millennium.1. Four classes of people on earth.

a. Righteous dead. b. Righteous living. c. Wicked dead. d. Wicked living.2. What will become of each class? 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17; John 14:2, 3; Revelation 20:5;

2 Thessalonians 2:8.3. Depopulation of the earth. Jeremiah 25:33; Isaiah 24:1-3; Jeremiah 4:23-27.4. Meaning of bottomless pit and the binding of Satan.5. Breaking of Satans chain and his release.6. Resurrection of the wicked. Revelation 20:5.7. The supreme and final attempt to overthrow the government of God.8. Descent of the New Jerusalem.9. Final overthrow of Satan. Revelation 20:7-9; Ezekiel 28:16-9; Malachi 4:110. The cleansing of the earth. 2 Peter 3:10, 13.

11. The new earth and the home of the saved. Matthew 5:5; Isaiah 35.

4. Appeal: The hope set before us. The lofty privilege of being with Jesus. The way of escape fromdestruction. Eternal life in Jesus. Make no longer delay.

By CARLYLE B. HAYNESLansing, Michigan


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1. Introduction

IT is always well when considering Bible or other topics to arrive at mutually acceptabledefinitions. Otherwise we may not be talking about the same thing at all, and our minds will be far apart.

This term millennium is not a Biblical term at all, it does not occur in the English version of theBible. It has come to have a very definite meaning to many Bible students -a thousand years of great peaceand prosperity and salvation and safety, during which Jesus Christ will reign in person upon the earth. As a

matter of fact, the term carries no such meaning. This is an interpretation which has been put upon theword, but which the word itself does not support.

The word millennium comes from two Latin words, mille, meaning a thousand, and annum,meaning year-a thousand years. This is the sum total of meaning contained in the word itself-simply athousand years, without any specification of anything at all regarding the nature of this long period. It maybe a bad thousand years or a good thousand years. All the word means is a period a thousand years inlength. The popular fancy regarding the millennium as a period of glory and peace and prosperity on earthhas no basis in the Bible. Such views are merely human speculations. They are not the word of God.

As a matter of fact, the millennium of the Bible is not at all a thousand years of glory and peace onearth. It is not an age of progress. It is not an age of recovery. It does not result from the conversion of thewhole world. Nor will the world be converted during that period. On the contrary, the Bible millenniumwill be an age of darkness and gloom on this earth. It will be a period when death reigns over all the earth,and the day of salvation will have been succeeded by the day of the Lord.

2. The One Text

Although the Bible does not use the term millennium, it does speak of a period which it callsthe thousand years. It will be well for us to examine carefully this one place in the Scripture which refersto this time. I read it to you now, and ask your close attention to its exact wording, for the sermon tonightwill be an analysis and an exposition of these words:

I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain inhis hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and Satan, and bound him athousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up. And set a seal upon him, that heshould deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled. And after that he must beloosed a little season. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and Isaw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had

not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in theirhands. And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not againuntil the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. (Revelation 20:1-5.)

A careful examination of these words discloses that a thousand-year period lies in the future whichwill be marked with several special characteristics. During that time Satan is to be bound in a bottomlesspit. He will be shut up and sealed in this condition, so that he will be unable to carry forward his ordinarywork of deceiving the nations.

During this same thousand-year period, the saints of Christ will live and reign with Christ, and willsit upon thrones of judgment. It is the first resurrection which makes this possible.

Following the thousand-year period Satan will be loosed from his confinement for a littleseason, and during this little season he will resume his work of deception and will marshal the hosts of thewicked in a supreme attempt to overthrow Gods kingdom and take the Holy City. (Revelation 20:7-9.)

This is the whole teaching of Scripture on this matter of the millennium, for in no other place in

the Bible is this thousand-year period referred to. Whatever fancies men may have about the millennium, ifthey are to be considered true, they must be made to harmonize with this passage of Scripture. This is thenorm. It contains all that the Bible has to say on this subject.

It is because this passage of Scripture declares that Satan will be bound so that he will deceive thenations no more, that men have thoughtlessly jumped to the unwarranted conclusion that the millenniumwill be a most happy, glorious time of peace among the nations of the world. Added to this has been theteaching that the nations will be converted by the preaching of the gospel, and will, as a result, disband theirarmies, dismantle their navies, and learn war no more.

This theory has been taught for so long that it has come to be widely believed. It has, however, nofoundation at all in the teaching of the Bible. There is nothing in the Bible which teaches that before the


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end of the world the nations of the world will be converted to the gospel and will cease to fight one another.In fact, the Bible teaches just the contrary. The world is not getting better and better. It is growing, worseand worse. (2 Timothy 3:13.)

The teaching of the Bible is that both the righteous and the wicked will grow together until theharvest, which is explained to be the end of the world. And at the end of the world, instead of thewicked all being converted, they will be cast into a furnace of fire, where there will be wailing andgnashing of teeth. This is all made plain in the parable of the wheat and the tares. (Matthew 13:24-30, 37-43.)

3. Events Connected With the Millennium

The order of events in connection with the beginning and closing of the millennium is made quiteplain in the Bible, so plain that there is no excuse for mistaken ideas to arise. 1 direct your attention to thisclear teaching.

The millennium will begin with the Second Coming of our Lord.At the time when Jesus comes the second time there will be four classes of people on earth. They

will be:1. The righteous dead-those who have followed God through the ages, and have passed into their

graves to await the coming of the Life-giver.

2. The righteous living-those who have not died, but are living on earth at the time of the Lordsreturn.3. The wicked dead-the enemies of God through all the ages who have gone into death

unrepentant, and who there await the resurrection of the wicked and their final punishment.4. The wicked living-the enemies of God who are alive at the time of the coming of the Lord.Search now, and see how plainly God declares just what will become of each of these four classes.

At the Second Coming of Christ the righteous dead will be raised from their graves to be taken to heavenwith the righteous living, who are to be translated: The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with ashout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lordin the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17.)

This reunited company of Gods people will not remain in the air where they meet the Lord, assome mistakenly maintain, but will be taken with the Lord to heaven. This is most positively stated. In MyFathers house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. 1 go to prepare a place for you.And if 1 go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where 1 am,there you may be also. (John 14:2, 3.)

It is plain, therefore, that when the righteous dead are raised at the Second Coming of Christ, andthe righteous living are translated, they will be removed from the earth and taken to heaven, to enter thosemansions which Christ has been preparing for them. And there in heaven they will live and reign withChrist for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4.)

The wicked dead are not disturbed at the Second Coming of Christ. They are left unmolested intheir graves. Their sleep is not broken at this time: The rest of the dead [the wicked] lived not again untilthe thousand years were finished. (Revelation 20:5.)

There will be, then, two resurrections-a resurrection of the righteous at the Second Coming ofChrist, and a resurrection of the wicked a thousand years later.

The millennium opens with a resurrection and closes with a resurrection. It opens with theresurrection of the righteous and closes with the resurrection of the wicked. It is a thousand-year period

between two resurrections.The living wicked will be destroyed at the Second Coming of Christ. They will continue in death

until the second resurrection at the close of the millennium. It is the living wicked at the coming of Christwhom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of Hiscoming. (2 Thessalonians 2:8.)

These Scripture statements help us to understand what becomes of all four classes on the earth atthe Second Coming of our Lord.

The righteous dead will be raised, and the righteous living will be translated, and these twoclasses, united, will be removed from the earth and taken to heaven to live and reign with Christ for the


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thousand years of the millennium.The wicked dead will be left in their graves, and the wicked living will be brought to death. And

united these two classes will remain in the prison house of death until the close of the millennium.It is therefore plain that at the coming of Christ this earth will be entirely emptied of its

inhabitants. Indeed, this is the exact description given by the ancient prophets of the earth during themillennium.

Turn and look at Jeremiahs vivid description of the earth during the thousand years: The slain ofthe Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth. They shall notbe lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground. (Jeremiah 25:33.)

Isaiah, too, speaks of the earth in the same manner: Behold, the Lord makes the earth empty, andmakes it waste, and turns it upside down, and scatters abroad the inhabitants thereof. . . . The land shall beutterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord bath spoken this word. (Isaiah 24:1-3.)

And that there will be no man on earth then is made abundantly clear by Jeremiah. (Jeremiah4:23-27.)

From these passages it is made plain that the earth during the millennium will be a waste anddesolate wilderness.

It is the earth in this waste condition that is referred to as the bottomless pit, into which Satan iscast and bound. The term bottomless pit means any place of darkness, desolation, and death. And whenthe earth during the millennium returns to its original condition of chaos, without form, and void, it willbecome the bottomless pit of Satans captivity.

Here in this desolate earth, with its cities broken down, its whole expanse become a greatwilderness, without any of the human race left, Satan will be compelled to stay for one thousand years.

He will be bound with a great chain. This must not be understood as a literal chain, but rather as achain of circumstances which effectively binds him. He will be unable to carry forward his usual work ofdeception. He cannot deceive the righteous. They are in heaven, and thus beyond his reach. He cannotdeceive the wicked. They are all dead, and so beyond his reach. By the very, circumstances of his positionhe is bound, and he must of necessity remain bound until some change is brought about either in thecondition of the righteous or in that of the wicked, which will put them again within the circle of hisinfluence.

No, this will not be Satans final punishment, but certainly it will be a just preliminary to it.It is sin which will cause the wreck of the world. It is sin which will cause the cities of the earth to

be broken down. It is sin which will slay the wicked. It is sin which will make the earth a desolatewilderness. All this will be the work of Satan. It is the natural consequence of what he has been engaged in

doing for six thousand years. And during the millennium he will be made to understand what it all means,and to see the consequences of his rebellion against God.

At the close of the thousand years, Christ, the angels, and the redeemed saints return to this earth.The New Jerusalem descends in plain view. John saw it in holy vision, and thus describes it: I John sawthe Holy City, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for herhusband. (Revelation 21:2.)

Then the great chain which has bound Satan will be broken by the resurrection of the wicked.The rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. (Revelation 20:5.)

No sooner are the wicked raised from the dead than Satan will begin to plan for his last greatattempt to overthrow the government of God. He will then have at his command a greater host than everbefore in the entire history of his rebellion. All the enemies of God who have ever lived on earth will thenbe under his full control and ready to do his bidding. Among them will be the angels cast out of heavenwith him. These are now joined by the innumerable throngs of the wicked, the number of whom is as the

sand of the sea. (Revelation 20:8.) Some of these are the giants who lived on the earth before the flood.Some are skilled in warfare, and are just as eager to destroy as they ever were.Inspired by the delusive hope that with his vast army he will yet be able to overthrow the

government of God and take the city, he stirs up the wicked to prepare for the last great struggle for thesupremacy of the world. The last great battle of all the ages is thus described by inspiration:

When the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out todeceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together tobattle. The number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth andcompassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven,and devoured them. (Revelation 20:7-9.)


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As the great throng of the wicked surround the Holy City, the fire of God will fall from heaven. Bythis the vast multitude of evil men and angels will be overwhelmed. Do not make the mistake of thinkingthat this fire will perpetuate the lives of the wicked. It will not. It will devour them. This will be the seconddeath, from which there will never be any recovery. This fire will have the same effect upon Satan as it hasupon the wicked. He and his angels will be utterly consumed. (Ezekiel 28:16-19; Malachi 4:1.)

Thus the end of the great conflict of the ages between Christ and Satan will result in the completeoverthrow and destruction of Satan, his angels, and all those who maintain their alliance with them. Theuniverse will be cleansed of every stain of sin.

The fire which will consume the wicked will at the same time purify and cleanse and renovate theearth. Great billows of flame will burn the ruined works of men. The last remnants of sin will be consumed.The elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnedup. (2 Peter 3:10.)

The long state of rebellion against God will then come to an end. The last foe, death, will then bedestroyed. The warring world will thus at last be overthrown.

The first heaven and the first earth, the great theater of sin, the scene of strife and rebellion, willpass away. And when they have been purified by the fires of the last day, which will come down fromheaven, then by the word of the Lord there will be brought into existence new heavens and a new earth,wherein dwells righteousness. (2 Peter 3:13.)

The Holy City, with the righteous nations of the saved within, will ride safely the billows of flamewhich will purify the earth. When the flames subside, after having accomplished the work of cleansing the

earth, the Holy City will become the capital of the universe of God. God will dwell in it, the throne of theLamb will be in it, and it will remain for all eternity.

After the desolation of the millennium and the purifying fires at its close, the earth will blossomagain and become the home of the redeemed of all ages. This is the new earth, long promised, eagerlydesired, for which the saints of God have looked with longing eyes.

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5.)At that time Isaiah 35 will have its complete fulfillment: The wilderness and the solitary place

shall be glad for them [the redeemed]; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.Friends and loved ones long separated by death will there be reunited. They will know each other

just as they have known each other here. Their love and sympathy will be enlarged and increased, and willcontinue throughout the ages of eternity, never again to be broken by death.

All the faculties of the human mind will be developed there, and our capacity for knowledge willbe constantly increased. There will be no enterprises into which we can enter there that will be too great to

be carried forward to completion. There will be no aspiration that cannot be reached. There will be noambition that cannot be realized. There will be no end to the acquirement of knowledge. It will be possiblethen to travel from planet to planet and from system to system in the study of the treasures of wisdom andknowledge of the universe of God. Our companions will be the angels of God and the sinless beings ofother worlds.

And to this there will be no end. As the years of eternity unfold, there will never be any fear thatthe years still to come will bring an end to the happiness of the redeemed. When millions of ages haverolled by, still all beyond will stretch eternity.

O blessed day! O matchless Christ! What happiness of heart to be near Thee! What fullness ofrapture! How exceedingly abundantly above all that we have asked or thought! To be with Jesus-O soul-stirring thought. To be near His person and enjoy His society! The glorious Christ, the Holy One of Israel,the eternal Son of God; and we looking upon Him, being with Him! What completion of happiness 1

Truly in His presence is fullness of joy and at His right hand are pleasures forevermore. Greater

than the great ones of earth is He. Higher than the kings of the earth. And He bids me welcome! He smilesupon me! He showers me with His favors!And the meeting of long-separated friends-how the heart leaps forward to that meeting, when our

loved ones shall be clasped in our arms again!

4. Appeal

And so we look forward to that morn of morns when once again the Lord Jesus shall visit theearth. We strain to catch the first sound of His voice, that voice which will reverberate from hillside and


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mountaintop, echo through the silent valleys, sweep across the wide and treeless plains, and pierce even tothe remotest caves of old ocean.

We wait to see the effect of that voice as it rolls through the earth to strike the shackles from grimdeath, break open the tombs of the saints, and pierce even to their dead ears. We yearn to behold thesleeping ones, awakened by that commanding voice, feeling the thrill of life once more, raise their headsfrom their moldy pillows, toss aside the cover lid of dust, and spring joyfully into glorious life again.

A vast congregation they make as they gather to greet their Redeemer, coming from east and west,north and south, from height and depth, from land and sea, from torrid and frigid zones, to answer the callof the Master. They come in tremendous troops, guided by angels, and, sweeping upward together, taketheir stand on the glorious sea of glass before the great white throne of God.

And then, after a time, back they come to this earth, made new and clean and sweet. And on thisregenerated earth, with the curse removed Y and under those new heavens, clear and bright, all therighteous, with Jesus, the Son of God and the Son of man, their blessed King and Redeemer, shall maketheir eternal home.

Far out over the plains of the new earth will flash wave after wave of glory. Fulfilled is the ancientoath of God, As truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. (Numbers 14:21.)

O morning of splendor, awake, and bring the promised deliverance!And you, dear friend, who have with me been contemplating this blessed future, may I not press

upon you the urgent need of being prepared for these things which are coming upon the earth and uponman? There is a way of escape from the appalling destruction of the last days. And Jesus is the way. In Him

is safety. And in Him is eternal life, and an abundant entrance into his eternal kingdom of peace. Nowwhile you have opportunity, become acquainted with Him.

Mercys gates are still open, though they are soon to close. Gods ear will yet hear the penitentscry. The blood of Jesus will yet atone for sin, and cleanse whiter than snow. Make no longer delay. Now,now, go to God with all your sin, accept His sacrifice, believe His word, and He will graciously receive andpardon all your guilt.

And may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound inhope. (Romans 15:13.)

4. THE ONE PRICELESS BOOK(Inspiration of the Bible)

SERMON OUTLINE

1. Introduction: Making of many books. Ecclesiastes 12:12. Permanence amid transiency. Bible triumphsover all attacks.

2. A divinely inspired Book.1. Astounding claims. 2 Timothy 3:16, 17; 2 Peter 1:21.2. The best or the most dangerous book.

3. A preeminently authentic Book.1. Its facts substantiated.

a. Definiteness of statement: names, places, princes, kings.b. Archeology testifies.c. Quotation from Orr.

2. Its prophecies fulfilled: Jews, nations, Christ.3. Its scientific foreknowledge proved.

a. Written 2,000 years before age of science.b. Light apart from the sun. Genesis 1:1-3.c. Three kingdoms: mineral, vegetable, animal. Genesis 1:1-20.d. Earth round. Isaiah 40:22; Proverbs 8:27; Job 26:7.e. Empty space in the north. Job 26:7.


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f. Forty marvelous anticipations. Job 38.g. Innumerable stars. Jeremiah 33:22; Genesis 13:16; 15:5; Isaiah 40:26.

4. A strangely unified Book.1. Not one, but many writers.

a. A compilation of 66 books written by 40 men over a period of fifteen hundred years.b. Men of varied environment, with many styles of writing.

2. Illustrations: Three-color process; grand orchestra; statue.

5. A miracle-working Book.1. Its universal appeal: Understands needs of man. Inspires confidence. No unblemished heroes.2. Its redeeming power. John 4:39-42.

6. Appeal: Make this book your guide. More to be desired than gold.A lamp and a light. Psalm 19:7-11; 119:105.

By FREDERICK LEEWashington, DC

1. Introduction. Making of Many Books

OF making many books there is no end. (Ecclesiastes 12:12.) Well did the wise man express it inhis early day. Long before the age of invention and the multiplication of printed matter by the electric press,men bent themselves to the task of recording their thoughts in some permanent form. First upon stone withchisel and hammer, then upon papyrus with pen and ink, and later with crude wood-block printing, theancients produced a tremendous volume of literature.

Yet how much of this material has been of lasting and vital importance to mankind? Wholelibraries have been lost and forgotten. The meager writings of ancient philosophers and sages Which areleft to us now create little interest. The endless stream of literature which floods the world today isdemonstrating just as transient qualities as did that of former days. Even our best sellers are soon throwninto the discard by a fickle public, who wait for some new thriller or some new philosophy of life.

But the word of God-that preeminent Book which we call the Bible is like a Gibraltar standingsecurely and permanently upon the shore of time. This Book, which has been handed down to us fromancient time, and which speaks to us with greater power today than it did even in the day of its creation,may well be called the One Priceless Book. No Other Volume can compare with the Bible in human worth,in spiritual value, in holy essence, in marvelous wisdom, in divine accuracy, and in redeeming power.

Though many value this Book above all others, no book has ever been so hated as the Bible. Novolume has ever sustained such attacks upon it. Voltaire once declared, The Bible is an exploded book.But long after this famous agnostic had ceased to be an influence in the world, a Bible Society was locatedin the very building in which he had lived, and the Bible had become a great power in the world. Ingersoll,the famous American atheist, also declared, In ten years the Bible will not be read. That boast, mademore than fifty years ago, finds its answer in the fact that today thirty million copies of the Bible and Bibleportions are being circulated every year in more than a thousand languages. It is estimated that since thefirst printing of the Bible by Gutenberg, around 1450, well over one billion copies of the Bible have beendistributed. The American Bible Society alone has circulated, since its founding in 1816, 290,663,685

copies of the Scriptures.Well might one ask, What makes the Bible of such priceless worth ? The consideration of a few

facts pertaining to this marvelous Book, a brief study of its own extraordinary claims, and an investigationinto present-day evidences of its authenticity and power, will help us to understand why men place so muchconfidence in it, and why it has survived the ravages of time, as well as all efforts of men to overthrow it.

2. A Divinely Inspired Book

The first and foremost reason for the supreme and permanent value of the Bible is its divinely


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inspired message to man. This Book is in reality a serial letter from God. Throughout the warp and woof ofthe Bible are woven the silver cord of divine inspiration and the golden thread of redeeming love. In all itsparts we find a common objective and a uniform hope. Beginning at Genesis, the first book, in which Godscreative

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